Dr. Petros Karagiannis, a member of the Advisory Scientific Committee, Professor of Microbiology / Molecular Virology at the Medical School of the University of Nicosia, spoke about the relaxation of the measures and the usefulness of the vaccines.
He initially stated that "the two weeks of lockdown were absolutely necessary to bring the number of cases down faster, which would take a lot longer to get things done." It is not only the restrictive measures that have helped but also the increasing vaccination coverage and the warm weather that allows us to be outdoors ".
He continued by emphasizing that "if this good image continues, it will become clear in the next one or two weeks with the liberalization of more activities and the arrival of tourists in Cyprus. "If things go well, then little by little we will return to some kind of normalcy."
Asked if he agreed to increase the 72-hour margin of rapid tests, he said: "This is a measure that has been introduced for a short period of time, which can take another two to three weeks to monitor the situation. It is not a measure that will remain throughout the summer ".
Asked if the vaccines we have now protect against the Indian mutation, he explained that "they seem to protect. "There are some publications about some vaccines that are more 'effective', but I do not know if they are based on scientific data or if it is an attempt by companies to sell vaccines."
Regarding the deaths of vaccinated people, he pointed out that "a percentage of those vaccinated are expected to never make antibodies. Therefore these individuals remain vulnerable. "This is done with other vaccines, such as the flu, in which 35% of those vaccinated do not make antibodies."
Finally, answering a question about the usefulness of vaccination of young people such as 18-20, he noted that "these people if not vaccinated will continue to act as a reservoir of infection. As long as the virus is transmitted in these age groups, then it can very easily be transmitted to older ages who have not been vaccinated. "Vaccinated people multiply the virus to lower levels anyway."
Source: Sigmalive